How many dollar-a-day
third world
slave-wage workers
does it take
to make
a hero?
Faceless unknowns
worked to the bone
in the name
of a game
best symbolized by a swoosh
covered in blood.
Instant replays
of aerial displays,
the game-ending shot made
by empty hands
covered in blood,
to the crowd's delight.
How do you sleep at night?
Multi-million
air,
sell your name
without a care
'cause you know the media won't dare
to call you on it.
And the few
that do
you refer to your boss,
because you can't be bothered
with the ultimate cost.
What was the cost?
They showed you the money
and you played the game,
sold your soul to the devil
in return for the fame.
Don't you know that it's
temporary?
Is your memory that short?
Can you say,
"O.J.?"
Can you say
something?
Do you stand for anything
besides another championship ring?
Have you ever thought
what your influence could bring
to the revolution?
Have you ever thought
that your influence could be
a part of the solution?
How many more
young black lives
will you trivialize
before you realize
that the revolution
is not basketball?
GUY LECHARLES GONZALEZ
